Garden 3

Good Karma Garden #3

“I’m sure I was cursed with a black thumb. When I got the opportunity to work with Good Karma Gardens, I was decidedly NOT looking to get out of my comfort zone, I was looking to get into my comfort zone. They helped me determine what was realistic for my situation and abilities.”

Little did I know when I began showing up at other people’s yard work parties — where the goal was to rip out green lawns and find low-water alternatives or install edible plants — that it would result in a vegetable patch of my own, courtesy of Good Karma Gardens.

The house I’ve rented for the last decade has considerable outdoor space around it, but I’ve never done well with delicate plants, and the grounds already require more maintenance than I can handle. My solution was to grow the most indestructible succulents and cactus and simply let them take care of themselves. As I became involved with Transition Mar Vista/Venice, the Learning Garden, and Our Time Bank, I realized for the first time what a wealth of community resources, cooperation, and support exist right in my neighborhood. When GKG approached me about growing my own food, I confess I was still daunted by the problem of regular maintenance. I don’t own my house so I won’t live there forever. But in about three hours, GKG and a team of wonderful volunteers built me a sheet-mulched raised bed that disassembles easily and they put some of my plants in pots that can move with me.

The beauty of this pay-it-forward effort is that the GKG experts tailor each garden to the needs and abilities of the person caring for it. You won’t be alone in your efforts and you won’t be saddled with more than you can afford or maintain. Your heart will be as gratified as your belly!